Formations of the cup and the rock
2022
Selenite
Moon Gallery, Nanoracks, Voyager Space
Mineral sculpture inspired by the processes of rock-water interactions, and our
perception of reality behind the naming of things. Selenite, literally the stone of the
moon – selēnē, got its name due to its shine, translucency and prismatic, multifaceted
structure. Soft stone, that can be easily scratched with a ngernail, also quickly
dissolves and deconstructs in contact with water.
As a child, I remembered a saying of my grandmother: when the moon lays like a cup that spills water, it will probably rain. This little connection embraces the complexities behind the names and meanings preserved in languages and stories: memorization of the seasons and weather, and naming of materials after visual metaphors.
Still, a cup for water made of the moon-stone is impossible.
Playing with the idea of this interaction, I exposed selenite pieces to small drops of liquid, that over time formed a cup-looking deepening. A little ode to the formations of matter, and shared views of the world, inseparable from our imagination.
Technical information:
Artwork name:
Formations of the cup and the rock
Date:
Creator:
2022
Elina Alekseeva
Country:
Russia
This work is part of the following collection:
Moon Gallery
Selenite
Medium:
Dimensions:
1 x 1 x 1 cm
Sculpture
Genre:
IAAA Art Style:
Launch vehicle / mission:
Antares 230+ / NG-17 Cygnus resupply mission
Host spacecraft / hardware:
International Space Station
COSPAR id
2022-015B
Launch location:
NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia
Launch date:
19 Feb 2022
Orbit / space location:
LEO, International Space Station (ISS)
Return vehicle:
SpaceX Dragon 2
End date:
11 January 2023
Status:
Returned
Client / Agency:
Moon Gallery, Nanoracks, Voyager Space
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